5 December 2025, Kuala Lumpur

As anticipation builds ahead of the prestigious Piala Emas Sultan Selangor on 7 December, all eyes are turning toward one standout runner: Lucky Magic, the horse many believe is poised to dominate this year’s edition of the iconic contest. 

Renowned for its blend of tradition, prestige, and high-calibre competition, the Piala Emas Sultan Selangor consistently attracts some of the strongest stables and most talented thoroughbreds in the region. A field of 14 runners will face the starter with a chance given to a few runners in this field but Lucky Magic seems to be the right one. Unbeaten over 2000m from two previous attempts, a three-time Group 1 winner in Malaysia and big race jockey – R Shafiq – retaining the ride for the HY Cheng stable. Lucky Magic was the winner of the Selangor Gold Cup – the second leg of Malaysia’s Triple Crown Series – and asserted his class with a runaway victory. He is more than capable of following up and even if the track comes up as soft underfoot conditions, I don’t think it will be too big of a concern and his class should prevail. His biggest danger should be Good Star who is looking to make it back-to-back G1 wins after winning the Coronation Cup in Ipoh a few weeks ago.

If you are looking for a few value selections for the exotics, horses like Always A Gentleman and Navy Seals catch the eye. The big part of the Piala Emas Sultan Selangor is based on horses that can truly stay the 2000m trip and the majority of this field might be looking for a second wind in the final 400m. However, Always A Gentleman – from the L Moy stable – has already proven his staying abilities by winning a G1 in Brazil over 2000m. Now with only 54kgs to shoulder, he must be considered a dark horse in the field. Navy Seals is a horse that relishes the 2000m trip with six starts for three wins and two third placings over. He has bottom weight to shoulder and although this is a big step up in class for him, he could be doing his best work late into the back end of quartets.

The first of eleven races on Piala Emas Sultan Selangor Day begins at 12:15pm local time with the G1 set to commence at 16:40pm in race 9.

Devon Pretorius